Tuesday, March 18, 2014

From Baltimore to Budapest: Representing SP2 Abroad

by Abby Rix Degge, MSW 2011

When I finished my MSW at Penn, I accepted a social work position at the University of Maryland Medical Center to work with older adults living with HIV/AIDS. This position allowed me to gain further social work experience in the Division of Transplantation, Infections Disease, and Neurosurgery. Two years later, my husband was offered a Fulbright grant to study music in Budapest, Hungary. While I wasn’t really sure what moving across the pond would mean for my career, I knew I had a solid degree and skill-set I could use worldwide.

Several months after arriving in Hungary, the Fulbright EducationUSA Advising Center invited me to participate in two of their International Education Week events by giving a formal presentation about my graduate experience at Penn for Hungarian students interested in pursuing graduate programs in the U.S. I was also asked to represent Penn at the EducationUSA Study Abroad Fair. I gave careful thought to what kind of message I wanted to communicate. In a time where so many students get degrees “just for the sake of it,” I wanted to challenge the students to think critically about pursuing a degree track that complemented both their academic interests and individual needs.

During my  first presentation I gave a 35-minute interactive PowerPoint presentation detailing my journey at Penn. I described how I had attended a BSW program at a college in rural Texas and wanted to see how social work functioned in an urban context, making Philadelphia an ideal place for urban social work internships, as well as post-graduate career opportunities. I also explained that Penn’s social work program was the best size for my learning style, and unlike many programs in large cities, the classes were interactive and close-knit, allowing students to build strong relationships with peers and faculty. I described the various specializations Penn offers within the social work degree track, like the Penn Aging Concentration (PAC). I concluded the presentation by emphasizing that my graduate degree program prepared me to enter the workforce with confidence and security because I chose a school that was the best fit for me, not just an impressive name on my diploma.

 Nearly 100 Hungarian students attended the Study Abroad Fair the next day, ranging from high school students interested in undergraduate education to university students considering Master’s and Doctoral degrees in the U.S. The relaxed setting allowed me to talk to individual students about their interest in attending Penn. While I had to put on the recruiting hat and answer several questions about Penn’s various programs, I also enjoyed the chance to engage students regarding common social concerns present both in Hungary and in the U.S.

My experience presenting at the Hungarian-American Fulbright Commission was an excellent opportunity to continue my professional development while serving as an ambassador for SP2. It was also a great chance to educate students on the types of available careers in social policy or practice. A common thread I’ve noticed both at home and abroad is that people generally do not know much about this line of work or what we do as social workers. I think it is important that we devote time and energy to represent our profession in order to educate and empower more people to choose careers that affect positive social change. Having lived abroad for six months, I have learned that no matter where you are in the world, there is always something to do as an advocate for social change. There are a lot of exciting opportunities for social workers in Hungary, and I hope there can be more collaboration and mutual exchange between the Hungarian-American Fulbright Commission and Penn’s School of Social Policy and Practice in the future.

 (Abby Rix Degge is a charter member of the Penn Aging Concentration and obtained her MSW from Penn in 2011. She currently lives in Budapest, Hungary with her husband who is a Fulbright grantee for the 2013-14 academic year. Prior to her relocation to Budapest, Abby worked as a Licensed Graduate Social Worker for the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, MD. She currently volunteers for the Csányi Foundation for Children, an organization that provides education and talent development to economically disadvantaged children. She also works part-time as an online News Aggregator for Center Maryland.)

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